Lentil Ragu
Lentil ragu... warming, cosy and filling pasta that's packed with nutritious red lentils and veggies, the perfect midweek dinner as we transition from late Summer to early Autumn.
Ingredients
- 250 g red split lentils (dried) (roughly 1 and 1/4 cup)
- 1 litre veggie stock or chicken (roughly 4 cups)
- 1 400g tin of tomatoes
- 1 whole carrot diced
- 1 whole white / brown onion diced
- 1 stick celery diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced / grated
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- small handful fresh basil chopped (optional)
- 12 cherry tomatoes (optional)
- salt and pepper
- parmesan to serve
- 4 servings spaghetti or other pasta of choice
Instructions
- Start by rinsing your lentils well and chopping all of the vegetables
- Get a pan onto the heat and add olive oil followed by your French mirepoix vegetables (onion, carrot & celery) - cook this on medium low for about 10 minute until softened then add your garlic for 1 minute
- Add your rinsed lentils, tin of tomatoes, stock and dried oregano to the pan, stir well and bring the pan to a simmer. Season now with some salt and pepper whilst cooking
- Allow the ragu to cook on low for 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are softened. *See Note 1
- Whilst the ragu is cooking, cook your pasta according to packet instructions - season it with salt and pepper and some extra virgin olive oil when it's done cooking!
- Optional - When you have about 10 minutes left on your lentils, add your while cherry tomatoes and stir through
- Optional - Add chopped basil to the sauce just as it's finished cooking and stir through
- Serve the ragu piled onto your spaghetti with freshly grated parmesan!
Notes
Notes:
- We're using red split lentils which give a much softer consistency than e.g. whole green / puy lentils when cooked! It's really up to you how soft you want them to get - reduce the cooking time if you want them to retain a bit of a bite.
- Be sure to coat your spaghetti with some extra virgin oil and season with salt and pepper after its cooked and drained - this enhances the flavour and gives you a beautiful glossy pasta
- You can use some of the pasta cooking water to loosen your sauce if needed